Device for opening wrappers of foodstuffs

ABSTRACT

In a folded wrapper, an elongated strip is positioned beneath the overlapping side seam and end flaps of the wrapper and extends exterior of the end flaps thereof. Pulling outwardly on the exposed ends of the strip unfolds the end flaps and lifting of the strip opens the side seam of the wrapper to expose the contents for use. For storage, the strip is repositioned and the wrapper refolded in position for the next opening.

United States Patent 1191 I v Giaque 1111- j 3,720,303 1 1March 13,1973

1 41. DEVICE FOR OPENING WRAPPERS 0F FOODSTUFFS [76] Inventor: Harrie A.Giaque, 5826 Broadway,

Oakland, Calif. 94618 221 Filed: April14,197l

[21] App|.No.: 133,855

52 us. c1.; ..'..206/46 F, 206/56 R, 229/51 As 51 Int. c1. ..B6Sd 85/74581 Field of Search ....206/46 F, 46 o, 56 R, 56 AA,

206/DIG. 4, D16. 32; 220/47; 229/51 R, 51

AS, 51 C, 85, 86, 87 R, 87 B, 87 C, 87 G, 87

[S6] 1 References Cited 7 UNlTEDSTATES PATENTS' 2,283,102 5/1942Stephano .Q. ..229/s1c 1,782,856 11/1930 Meyer; ..206/46F.

1,805,417 Ritzel .iZZQ/Sl AS UX FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATIONS 23,34311/1955 Germany ..229/51 c Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer 7 AssistantExaminer -Steven E. Lipman -Attorney-Eckh0ff& Hoppe 1 s7] ABSTRACT In afolded wrapper, an elongated strip is positioned beneath the overlappingside seam and end flaps of .the wrapperand extends exterior of.the endflaps thereof. Pulling outwardly on the exposed ends of the stripunfolds the end flaps and lifting of the strip opens the side seam ofthe wrapper to expose the contents for use. For storage, the strip isrepositioned andthe wrapper refolded in position for the next opening.

3 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures M cBean ..229/5l AS 'PATENTEDN-AR 1 3191s L5 U W.. R N m M m n V A W A A A A H PATENTEDHAR 1 3197s SHEET 2 OF 2IIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII llll INVENTOR.

IAUQUE fi ATTORNEYS FIE- -llIl- DEVICE For: oPsNiNc WRAPPERS Froonsrurss BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to adevice for opening wrap- Commodities of this type are generally sold incubesv or in a block shape and are provided for storage and handlingwith a wrapper of paper or foil or plastic film.

To use these commodities, the wrapper has to be removed or opened. Sincethese foodstuffs may not be consumed at one time, provision should" bemade to rew'rap for storage any unused portion. Similarly, theseproducts are of an oily nature and this, coupled with the necessity ofcleanliness, make it desirable to handle the contents and wrapperinterior as little as possible.

l-leretofore, opening devices have been incorporated on some foodstuffwrappers to facilitate opening the wrapper. However, these openers havegenerally been of the tear-strip type wherein a pull strip is used torip open the wrapper. This method of opening, of course, destroys theintegrity of the wrapper and obviates its use for rewrapping the unusedportion of the contents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION I It is, therefore, a principal object of thepresent invention to provide an opener for wrapperswhich will unfold.the wrapper to present the enclosed contents for use without handlingthe contents and which allows the wrapper to be refolded around anyunused portion. I

It is another object of the present invention to provide anon-destructive opener for wrappersof foodstuffs wherein an elongatedstrip is positioned beneath the overlapping side edges of the wrapperand is folded along the end of the contents beneath the overlapping endflaps. Fromthere, the strip extends from beneath the end flaps to anexterior position'along the ends of thewrapper. Pulling outwardly on theexposed ends of the strip unfoldsthe end flaps and lifting of the stripunfolds the side edges of the wrapper to expose the contents.

It is still another object to provide such an opening strip made of amaterial impervious to the foodstuff and which is an economical additionto existing wrapper materials and modes of wrapping. v

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 is a partial plan sectionalview of the folded end of the wrapper and included opener strip,illustrat ing in phantom line the unfolding of the end flaps by similarto FIG. land illustrating a modified form of the wherein the openingdevice has been elevated to unfold the wrapper from the contents;

1 FIG; 3 is a perspective view of a block shaped comand strip andillustrating the fold lines on each;

invention;

FIG. 7 is. a partial elevational sectional view similar to FIG. Sandillustrating the device of FIG. '6;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of another modified form; V I

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but of the device in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of yet another modified form; and VFIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but of the device in FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Looking to the drawings andparticularly FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the device for openingwrappers of foodstuffs consists of an elongated strip 11 incor poratedwith wrapper 12 around a block shaped commodity 13 to facilitateunfolding the wrapper and expose the commodity orcontents for use.

As mentioned, this invention is eminently suited to opening wrapperssuch as those used on cubed butter and margarine and other block shapeddairy products.

Such wrappers are commonly formed from sheet stock of wax paper, foilbacked paper or thin film plastic. These wrappers are folded to encirclethe product and isolate it from its environment. In cubed butter forinstance, the cube 13 is positioned medially of the wrapper sheet 12 asshown in FIG. 3. The wrapper is folded, as at 14 and '15, up along thesides of the cube and further folded over the top of the cube, as at 16and 17. The edges 18 and 19 of the wrapper overlap on the cube along alongitudinal seam 21. Generally, this seam is not fastened or otherwisesecured together. Next, the ends of the wrapper are closed by inwardlyfoldingend flaps 22. These end flaps include a first or top end flap 23which incorporates the overlapping seam 21, second and third end flaps24 and 26 which are those adjacent first flap 23, and a fourth or bottomflap 27 which is the flap opposite the first flap. Tucks 28 may be takenin the wrapper to facilitate forming the end flaps 22.

As shown, the top flap 23 is folded in first and then side flaps 24 and26 and finally the bottom flap 27. These flaps overlap centrally of thecube end to completely close the ends. While only one end of the wrapperhas been described, it should be appreciated that the far end is alsoclosed with similar end flaps. This manner of wrapping cubed or blockshaped dairy products is well-known and isa standard practice in theindustry with minor variations.

To provide easy access to the contents in such a wrapper the device of.the presentinvention is employed. When practicing this invention, theelongated strip 11 is placed alongthe top of the block shaped productand is folded with the wrapper to provide an easy opening system.

In the drawings and particularly FIG. 1, it will be seen that theelongated strip 11 is positioned longitudinally beneaththe overlappingside seam 21 and along the ends of the cube, to a position beneath theoverlapping end flaps 22 and from there extends exteriorly of thewrapper as at 29. Looking to FIG. 2, it will be noted that pullingoutwardly on the exposed ends of the strip, as noted by arrow 31, willunfold the end flaps and by pulling laterally on the strip (see arrow32) will open the side seam 21 of the wrapper.

Specifically, in the instant embodiment, the elongated strip 11is'positioned over the cube with its ends extending equidistantly beyondthe ends of the cube. The wrapper 12 is folded up around the cube 13with the edges 18 and 19 thereof forming an overlapping seam 21 over thestrip 11. By proper positioning of the wrapper and strip, a centralsection 33 of the strip will be positioned longitudinally beneath theseam 21; Next, the first or top end flap 23 is folded inwardly along theend of the cube. The end of stripll will simultaneously be folded, as at34, to form a section or leg36 lying along the end of the cube. Theadjacent end flaps 24 and 26 are next folded inwardly over flap 23 andstrip section 36. The lower flap 27 is now folded inwardly toward theend of the cube and in so doing simultaneously folds strip 11 back alongitself, as at 37, to form another section or leg 38.

Looking to FIGS. 1 and 5, it will be seen that the sections 36 and 38form a loop or V" between the end flaps and that section 38 extendsoutward from beneath flap 27 through the interstice formed by flap 27and the underlying flaps. Strip l1 terminates at an exterior positionalong the ends of the cube with the exposed area of section 38 providinggrasping area for .the pulling operation. As mentioned earlier, theflaps 22 overlap at a point centrally of the end of the cube and properplacement of the strip should be made to ensure its passing beneath thispoint. Once again, while only one end has been described, it should beappreciated that the other end is formed in identical fashion.

Preferably, the elongated strip is made of a material which isimpervious to the oily nature of the butter. Such materials includecellophane and certain plastics, aluminum foil and treated paper orstring. Distinctive coloration or printing may also be incorporated onthe strip. For a quarter pound cube of butter, the strip may be in theorder of three-sixteenths to three-eighths inches wide and about 9inches long. The length, of

' curse, will be determined by the length of the block or cube butshould be of sufficient length to extend over the side and ends of theblock and still provide an exposed area for grasping;

If desirable duringthe operation of wrapping, the strip may be looselyattached to the wrapper so as to keep the strip in its proper position.This may be accomplished in several ways,'one of which is to provide atab connection between the wrapper and strip or a small amount of thewrapper may be folded around the strip.

To open the wrapper, the opposite exposed ends of the strip are grasped,and an outward pull is applied away from the cube. This will causesections 36 and 38 to be extended away from the cube and in so doing tounfold end flaps 22. Next,-the extended strip is lifted or elevated fromthe cube wherein section 33 will open the overlapping side seam, seeFIG. 2. The top side face and ends of the cube are now exposed and ifdesired the wrapper sides may be withdrawn to present the whole cube asit appears in FIG. 3. Subsequently, the wrapper and included strip maybe refolded in the abover'nentioned sequence and thus be in theproperpositionfor further easy openings.

While the pulling of the ends has been described as taking place withtwo motions, in actuality'it is accomplished with one flowing motion.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a modified form of the present invention inwhich the elongated strip 11a is folded back as at 39 to form a sectionor leg 41. Section 41 is positioned to extend along the side of wrapper12a.

and presents an enlarged area of the strip for grasping when pulling onthe strip.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate another modified form of the invention in whichthe strip is folded along the side in a manner similar to the form ofFIG. 6 but wherein the distal ends of the strip are tucked in the sideseam 21b. It will be noted that the side seam 21b is produced by theedges 18 and 19 of the wrapper overlapping along their margins and isdefined by overlapping upper and lower margin areas 42 and 43.Furthermore, in this form, the wrapper edges overlap over an enlargedarea,

such that edge 18 lies along the edge of the cube.

The ends of the strip are folded to be in a position that is partiallybetween the upper and lower margin areas. Looking to FIG. 9, it will beseen that the strip is positioned along the cube'as at 33b, folded at34b to form section 36b along the end of the cube and beneath the endflaps 22b. From there the strip is folded at 37b to fonn section 38b andfolded again at39b to form section 41b. Sections 38b and 41b arepositioned between the upper and lower margin areas 42 and 43. Thispresents a tidy package and serves to confine the exposed ends of thestrip. A portion or edge of the strip is left exposed so the ends may beslipped from between the seam along the path of arrows 44 when it isdesired to open the wrapper. If desired, the ends of the strip may beangled out from under the seam area.

Another modified form of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS.10 and II. In this form the strip is an integral part of the wrapper12c. The strip takes the form of two elongated extensions 46 and 47extending from the lower margin area 431:. Together, they, in effect,form a single strip in which the lower margin area 430 is contiguouswith sections 33c and 36c and in which sections 38c and 41c are formedfrom folded portions of extensions 46. Also shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 isa manner of cutting or relieving the area of the wrapper as at 48adjacent the side seam to more fully expose the ends of the stripthereunder. 1

From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have invented a new anduniquesystem for opening folded wrappers.

I claim:

1. In a wrapper for block shaped commodities wherein the wrapper isfolded around the commodity and forms an overlapping side seam andinwardly folded end flaps, the improvement comprising, an elongatedstrip positioned beneath the overlapping side second and third end flapsadjacent to the first flap and a fourth flap opposite to the firstfla'pJthe said elongated strip being positioned longitudinally beneaththe overlapping side seam and folded therefrom to a position along theends of the block toform a first section lying along the inner side ofthe first flap andbeneath the overlapping second and third flaps, saidstrip being folded back on itself to form a second section in a positionlying along the inner surface ofthe fourth flap and extending throughthe interstice formed between the fourth flap and underlying end flapswith saidstrip terminating at a position exterior of the wrapper andalong the ends thereof.

2. In a wrapper for block shaped commodities wherein the wrapper isfolded around the commodity and forms an overlapping side seam andinwardly folded endflaps, the improvement comprising, an elongated strippositioned beneath the overlapping side seam and folded, beneath the endflaps and extending exteriorly of the end flaps such that pullingoutwardly on the exposed ends of the strip will unfold the end flaps andpulling laterally on the strip will open the side areas, the ends of theelongated strip being folded into a position that is partially betweenthe upper and lower margin areas. a

3. A non-destructive opener for folded wrappers wherein the wrapper maybe opened from a storage condition to a use condition and'subsequentlyrefolded to a storage condition without destroying the integrity form anoverlapping side seam and overlapping end i seam of the wrapper, theside seam being provided by the edges of the wrapper overlapping alongtheir margins to provide overlapping upper and lower margin of thewrapper and wherein the wrapper is folded to flaps with the end flapsfolded inwardly in the sequence in which a first end flap, coextensivewith the side seam, is folded inwardly, the end flaps adjacent with saidfirst flap are folded inwardly and the end flap opposite the first flapis folded over the other end flaps, the improvement comprising, anelongated strip positioned beneath the overlapping side seam andextendrefolding of the wrapper and included strip in the aforesaidsequence restores the wrapper'to a storage condition and ready for thenext opening sequence.

- a: a a

1. In a wrapper for block shaped commodities wherein the wrapper isfolded around the commodity and forms an overlapping side seam andinwardly folded end flaps, the improvement comprising, an elongatedstrip positioned beneath the overlapping side seam and folded beneaththe end flaps and extending exteriorly of the end flaps, the end flapsbeing folded in overlapping relation toward the end of the block andincluding a first end flap incorporating the side seam, second and thirdend flaps adjacent to the first flap and a fourth flap opposite to thefirst flap, the said elongated strip being positioned longitudinallybeneath the overlapping side seam and folded therefrom to a positionalong the ends of the block to form a first section lying along theinner side of the first flap and beneath the overlapping second andthird flaps, said strip being folded back on itself to form a secondsection in a position lying along the inner surface of the fourth flapand extending through the interstice formed between the fourth flap andunderlying end flaps with said strip terminating at a position exteriorof the wrapper and along the ends thereof.
 1. In a wrapper for blockshaped commodities wherein the wrapper is folded around the commodityand forms an overlapping side seam and inwardly folded end flaps, theimprovement comprising, an elongated strip positioned beneath theoverlapping side seam and folded beneath the end flaps and extendingexteriorly of the end flaps, the end flaps being folded in overlappingrelation toward the end of the block and including a first end flapincorporating the side seam, second and third end flaps adjacent to thefirst flap and a fourth flap opposite to the first flap, the saidelongated strip being positioned longitudinally beneath the overlappingside seam and folded therefrom to a position along the ends of the blockto form a first section lying along the inner side of the first flap andbeneath the overlapping second and third flaps, said strip being foldedback on itself to form a second section in a position lying along theinner surface of the fourth flap and extending through the intersticeformed between the fourth flap and underlying end flaps with said stripterminating at a position exterior of the wrapper and along the endsthereof.
 2. In a wrapper for block shaped commodities wherein thewrapper is folded around the commodity and forms an overlapping sideseam and inwardly folded end flaps, the improvement comprising, anelongated strip positioned beneath the overlapping side seam and foldedbeneath the end flaps and extending exteriorly of the end flaps suchthat pulling outwardly on the exposed ends of the strip will unfold theend flaps and pulling laterally on the strip will open the side seam ofthe wrapper, the side seam being provided by the edges of the wrapperoverlapping along their margins to provide overlapping upper and lowermargin areas, the ends of the elongated strip being folded into aposition that is partially between the upper and lower margin areas.